All Hail Cale: Colorado Avalanche D-man draws massive praise from experts

Colorado Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar drew massive praise from the experts at the NHL Network.

NHL Network’s countdown of the NHL’s best defensemen ended with Cale Makar topping the list. The panel, consisting of Thomas Hickey and EJ Hradek, sang Makar’s praises, proclaiming him as potentially the best defenseman ever in the NHL.

Here’s what Hradek had to say about Makar:

“I never thought I would say, as someone who grew up as a young boy, hearing about Bobby Orr, and we know how wonderful and great Bobby Orr was, and watching Nicklas Lidström over many years, and watching Scott Niedermayer, there's been a lot of great defensemen, but at the end of the day, he may end up being the best defenseman ever…”

Comparing Makar with Orr, Lidstrom, and Niedermayer is nothing to sneeze at. And to think that Makar is still in his mid-20s. That’s something mind-shocking to consider.

The panel concluded that a 100-point season is not far off for Cale Makar. He could become this generation’s unquestioned best blue liner despite several other elite D-men like Quinn Hughes.

Check out the comments here:

Colorado Avalanche facing impending doom with Cale Makar extension

Cale Makar is entering the fifth year of a six-year contract. As it stands, Makar’s contract is a bargain at $9 million AAV. Sure, $9 million is a heck of a lot of money in the real world. But in the NHL, it’s a pittance for a player of Makar’s level.

The issue is that Makar will be eligible to sign an extension on July 1, 2026. At that point, the clock will be ticking for the Avalanche.

The Colorado Avalanche must be ready to get Makar signed ASAP. Of course, Avalanche fans would love to see Makar sign an eight-year extension next July 1. Every second that ticks by without Makar extended will feel like an eternity for Avs Nation.

For now, it doesn’t seem like there’s any risk of Cale Makar jumping ship. The Avalanche will be ready to pay him whatever is necessary. The likeliest scenario is that he becomes the highest-paid D-man in the NHL.

At the moment, the highest-paid blue liner is Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s got an $11.5 million cap hit. But there is no way Makar signs for that much. Perhaps he might agree to it as part of a short-term, team-friendly deal.

But then again, Makar should surpass Nathan MacKinnon’s team-high $12.6 million cap hit. If Makar snags another Norris Trophy this season, that amount could jump closer to Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million AAV.

$14 million for Cale Makar? Believe it or not, that could be a bargain with the rising cap.

In the meantime, Colorado Avalanche fans can only wait patiently until it’s time to re-up Cale Makar for another long-term deal.